It is week two and I am slowly starting to feel better. I feel like I am getting a better hold on all of my classes. I am so thankful for the Zoom meetings because I know exactly what is expected of me and I know exactly what we are doing each week and that makes me feel so much better! I feel more confident about this semester and I know I am going to come away from it a better teacher.
This week, I am working on a visual on what "concepts" in social studies education means to be. Am I the best at creating visuals? No. Will I look at someone else's and think that theirs is better than mine? Probably. But I am VERY excited about this assignment. I am a visual learner. Also, in creating this visual, I am going to have to look deep into my own thoughts about concepts. This is going to allow me to do some critical thinking and I know that this is going to help me get a better grip on what concept-based instruction is all about. I need that because I am still iffy on what I want to base my unit on. So, I am excited about the learning taking place this week in this class as well as my other classes. Already, I have learned a fair amount about concepts just from the Zoom meeting and that has made me feel better about planning a unit.
This week I have also gotten deep into unpacking the NCEL standards for the General Education Curriculum test. I find myself reading the standard and then thinking, I didn't know I had to know this to take this test. So, then I do research on each standard and end up spending hours learning everything I think I need to know on the standard. That has helped me immensely because I will be much better prepared for the test. So, that has been extremely beneficial for me.
I am also thinking of what I will include on my PLN plan for this class. Picking out Do's that I need improvement on from the KUD document has allowed me to pick out specific things that I can and will improve upon. Now I have some ideas and I can go from there.
It was the first week of school in the classroom that I work in so it has been CRAZY! It has been a whirlwind and on top of getting the students adjusted and settled, the other assistants and I have been wondering/worrying about our job security. I was talking to a few teachers that I work with and they told me that anyone would be crazy to enter the profession of teaching in North Carolina with the way things are right now. That had me worried and wondering, am I doing the right thing? What if I am entering into the wrong profession? I have went home and prayed each night and tried to imagine myself doing anything else in the world besides teaching and the truth is, I cant. My life without teaching just feels pointless. I love it so much. I was reassured by two of the mothers from the class I had last year and they don't even know how much they reassured me. I ran into one of them when they were picking up their child from school and she hugged me so tight and told me how much her child missed me already this year. Another mother called me just tonight and told me her son had been trying to come see me each morning this week but kept missing me and was upset about it. She asked when I would be finished with school and told me how much she hoped that I would be her son's teacher again before he left elementary school. I assured her that I would be there 15 minutes earlier so that he and I would have time to talk before the bell rang. My point is, I know this is what I was meant to do and I think God sent me these reassurances. All I can do is keep my chin up and follow my calling!
I hope everyone has a good week and I cannot wait to see everyone's concept visual!
Skylar,
ReplyDeleteFirst things first. If it is meant for you to be in this profession, stay in this profession. If teaching is what you want to do with your life, don't let politicians change your mind. I know things are tough now...however we are all hopeful things will get better soon. At this point, I would highly encourage you to share your story and advocate for your future profession!
I appreciate the thought organization you have put into this class. I appreciate you maintaining the growth mindset. Hopefully, the creation of the concept visual will be helpful for you and everyone else in the course. Concept-based instruction is very different than the traditional way of teaching social studies and it is my hope this activity will help the new way of thinking "stick."
I also appreciate you taking the time to fully prepare for the SS components of the NCEL exam. I want you to be as prepared as possible when the time comes.
-JP
I agree with what Dr. Parker has said. If you feel like you are being lead to teach do it! I believe that you will make a great teacher from the work that I have seen you submit and the times that we have worked together in class. If you sit and think about all the things you could do with a teaching degree it is amazing. Maybe you will end up overseas teaching kids. I have thought about going overseas and just working abroad for a few years and doing missionary work at the same time. I know you stress out a lot but keep in mind all that we have already put behind us. All the experiences that we have had in our past classes and how prepared that we will be when we actually graduate. I know from just from one semester to the next I am more prepared every single time. I am glad that you had the parents tell you what a difference you made. That kind of encouragement can go a long ways. Remember to keep hold to those compliments and try and enjoy the ride to becoming a teacher. I know I am so far this year!
ReplyDeleteI don't know if even entering the Degree Completion Program was a struggle for you, but hopefully you can look back at the beginning of this journey and receive reassurance that God has made a way for you and He will continue to do so. My pastor says "God never leads us to a place where we don't need Him." It's taken a lot of prayer on my part (and sometimes I still fall horribly short) to survive each semester, but we're both still here and will continue to succeed. Please be reassured that God knows the end result and He's not surprised by any of this budget nonsense. One day we can teach young children about economics and local political power with a very real understanding of what happens when breakdowns threaten! See, social studies concepts in real life...
ReplyDeleteSkylar,
ReplyDeleteIt shows that you are taking a good amount of time out of your day to do extra research for this class. Just by reading your blogs and discussion posts, I can tell that you are completely invested in this class and want to learn more and more. I keep wanting to read more about what you have researched and found outside of class time.
I agree with everyone above as well. I have never met you, but from the few zoom meetings we've had and the posts I've read that you've written, I can tell that you are meant to be a teacher. I have struggled at times with the same things, but I believe it's purely because North Carolina is a rough state to teach in right now. Every time I think that though, I always remember that I have wanted to do this for the kids, and I want to make a difference. I feel like I can do that best in a state like North Carolina. You will be an amazing teacher, and North Carolina could benefit with a teacher like you in the classroom.
Samantha Grubb